KIRTLAND, Ohio -- Lake County mayors and city managers and the Lake County Emergency Management Agency are seeking a declaration of emergency after heavy rains on Saturday flooded thousands of basements from Wickliffe to Mentor.

Larry Greene, the Lake County EMA director, said the county is asking for financial assistance from the state and Federal Emergency Management Agency for storm clean-up costs.

Greene also said the Lake County Solid Waste Facility in Painesville Township will accept flood-related debris from Lake County residents from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Willowick Mayor Richard Bonde said more than 5,000 basements were flooded in his city. The city has about 6,000 homes and most had water in them, including raw sewage.

"We had 4.6 inches of rain here in a 90-minute period, from about 3 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.," Bonde said. "It was like a train of rain coming in. We experienced a storm like this in 2006, but this one was worse.

Wickliffe Mayor William Margalis said he was blissfully unaware of flooding in his city until he got a call at 4 a.m. from a resident who said he had 3 feet of water in his basement.

"Basement flooding was a big problem in the northern part of our city," Margalis said. "About 800 to 1,000 homes that border Willowick and the city of Euclid got bad basement flooding.

He said the city received calls from residents who live in the southern end of Wickliffe, south of Ohio 84 in the higher elevations...where we've never before seen flooding.

Margalis said Wickliffe got 4.5 inches of rain, which was less than the 6.5 inches next-door neighbor Euclid in Cuyahoga County received.

"We got too much water in a short period of time," Euclid Mayor Bill Cervenik said. "We got hammered -- 4 inches fell between 3:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Our treatment plant got 20 feet of water. We are asking FEMA for the same designation that Lake County is asking."

Cervenik said more than 5,000 homes in Euclid were flooded -- but unlike his Lake County neighbors, most were flooded with clean water.

"It rained so hard that manhole covers popped off in the streets," he said. "My own home, which I've had since 1977, had water...and I've never had water in my basement before."

Lake County mayors noted that residents can leave water-damaged items on their front lawns which will be picked up by their service departments on a regular basis Tuesday.

The American Red Cross has been issuing clean-up kits to affected residents, and is also urging elderly who need assistance to call 211.

Cleveland city spokesman Jason Wood said residents whose basements have been flooded are asked to call 216-664-2513